Anesthetic Management of Elderly Patients With Down Syndrome: A Case Report.

In 1930, the life expectancy of patients with Down syndrome was about 10 years; today, their life expectancy is more than 60 years. With aging, there is an increased need for anesthesia and surgery. There is, however, no published information regarding the anesthetic management of older adults with Down syndrome. In this report, we described the anesthetic management of a 50-year-old woman with Down syndrome undergoing major cervical spine surgery. Components of the anesthetic that we thought would be difficult such as intravenous line placement and endotracheal intubation were accomplished without difficulty. Despite our best efforts, our patient nevertheless experienced both emergence delirium and postoperative vomiting. We advocate that physicians, advanced practice providers, and registered nurses be aware of the unique perianesthesia needs of older patients with Down syndrome.

The common meanings and shared practices of sedation assessment in the context of managing patients with an opioid: A phenomenological study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the common meanings of opioid-induced sedation and shared practices in the context of post-operative pain management in expert Post-Anesthesia Care Unit nurses during patient's pain management with opioids. BACKGROUND: Within the clinical setting, linear pain and sedation scales are not enough to support clinical judgement with acute pain management. Because sedation measurement rests along a fluctuating continuum, it is possible for a patient to be sedated and then shift to increasing alertness, and then to drift back to a sedated state. This potential for acute clinical transition can be challenging to nurses of all levels, even for expert nurses. DESIGN: Interpretive phenomenology. METHODS: Twenty expert Post-Anesthetic Care Unit nurses, with more than 7 years of nursing experience, participated in qualitative interviews regarding their lived experiences. Interviews were analysed using a modified seven-stage process for interpretation by Diekelmann, Allen and Tanner. The manuscript was developed utilising the COREQ guidelines for reporting qualitative studies. RESULTS: Four themes identified through the participant's stories were recognising every patient is different, engaging in iterative knowing, walking a fine line, and looking beyond and anticipating. This study identified a constitutive pattern of interpreting sedation by integrating practical understanding and anticipating beyond. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates a deeper complexity in the way opioid-induced sedation is assessed and balanced with pain management by nurses in the Post-Anesthetic Care Unit. RELEVANCE TO PRACTICE: Nurses in the study adapted their practices around pain management with opioids, in response to their patient's level of sedation; incorporating practices such as giving small, incremental doses and changing the drug. Nurses valued the importance of having "eyeballs on everybody" and being ready to meet the needs of their patient. They appreciate the time to watch and wait for their patient to respond, to better judge the result of their interventions.

Developing an e-learning resource for nurse airway assistants in the emergency department.

The aims of this project were to determine the required competencies for a nurse in the emergency department assisting with a rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia (RSI), and to produce a relevant e-learning resource. A three-round multidisciplinary Delphi process produced the following competencies: ability to describe the steps and sequence of events of an RSI, familiarity with the equipment used during an RSI, ability to recognise and help manage problems occurring during an RSI, ability to prepare for an RSI, ability to apply cricoid pressure, and understanding the modification of an RSI in special circumstances. An interactive e-learning package was produced and made available online. Twelve emergency department nurses took part in an evaluation of the e-learning package. All either agreed or strongly agreed that they had increased their knowledge and found the learning useful, and 11 out of 12 nurses reported being somewhat or very confident in the role of airway assistant following completion of the learning.

Scope of Practice Laws and Anesthesia Complications: No Measurable Impact of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Expanded Scope of Practice on Anesthesia-related Complications.

BACKGROUND: Scope of practice (SOP) laws governing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) vary by state and drive CRNA practice and reimbursement. OBJECTIVE: To test whether the odds of an anesthesia complication vary by SOP and delivery model (CRNA only, anesthesiologist only, or mixed anesthesiologist and CRNAs team). METHODS: Anesthesia claims and related complications were identified in a large commercial payor database, including inpatient and ambulatory settings. Logit regression models were estimated by setting to determine the impact of SOP and delivery model on the odds of an anesthesia-related complication, while controlling for patient characteristics, patient comorbidities, procedure and procedure complexity, and local area economic factors. RESULTS: Overall, 8 in every 10,000 anesthesia-related procedures had a complication. However, complications were 4 times more likely in the inpatient setting (20 per 10,000) than the outpatient setting (4 per 10,000). In both settings, the odds of a complication were found to differ significantly with patient characteristics, patient comorbidities, and the procedures being administered. The odds of an anesthesia-elated complication are particularly high for procedures related to childbirth. However, complication odds were not found to differ by SOP or delivery model. CONCLUSIONS: Our research results suggest that there is strong evidence of differences in the likelihood of anesthesia complications by patient characteristics, patient comorbidities, and the procedures being administered, but virtually no evidence that the odds of a complication differ by SOP or delivery model.

Professionals' Perceptions about the Need for Pain Management Interventions for Children with Cerebral Palsy in South African School Settings.

Pain is common in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and may have negative consequences for children's success in their studies. Research has shown that pain in childhood negatively influences individuals' participation and quality of life in later years. This study investigated how professionals in South African school settings respond to children's need for pain management in an attempt to enable the children to be active participants in school activities, despite their pain. The study was descriptive and followed a qualitative design (i.e., focus group interviews with semistructured questions and a conventional content analysis). Five government schools for children with special education needs in South Africa's Gauteng province participated. Participants/Subjects: Thirty-eight professionals who represented eight professions. Professional statements on the topic were collected from five focus group sessions conducted during one week. Qualitative content analysis of the data was performed. Similar statements were combined, coded, and sorted into main categories and subcategories. The analysis identified three main categories for pain management: environmental, treatment, and support strategies. In addition, four groups of statements emerged on how contextual factors might affect pain in children with CP and their participation in school settings. It is important to train professionals in pain management and to implement structured models for pain prevention and management to ensure that best practices are adhered to for children with CP who suffer from acute or chronic pain.

The Role of Documentation Quality in Anesthesia-Related Closed Claims: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.

Clinical documentation is a critical tool in supporting care provided to patients. Sound documentation provides a picture of clinical events that can be used to improve patient care. However, many other uses for clinical documentation are equally important. Such documentation informs clinical decision support tools, creates a legal record of patient care, assists in financial reimbursement of services, and serves as a repository for secondary data analysis. Conversely, poor documentation can impair patient safety and increase malpractice risk exposure by reflecting poor or inaccurate information that ultimately may guide patient care decisions.Through an examination of anesthesia-related closed claims, a descriptive qualitative study emerged, which explored the antecedents and consequences of documentation quality in the claims reviewed. A secondary data analysis utilized a database generated by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Foundation closed claim review team. Four major themes emerged from the analysis. Themes 1, 2, and 4 primarily describe how poor documentation quality can have negative consequences for clinicians. The third theme primarily describes how poor documentation quality that can negatively affect patient safety.

[Anesthesiological care in orthogeriatric co-management. Perioperative treatment of geriatric trauma patients]. / Anästhesiologische Betreuung im orthogeriatrischen Co­Management. Perioperative Versorgung des geriatrischen Traumapatienten.

Elderly patients increasingly need to undergo surgery under anesthesia, especially following trauma. A timely interdisciplinary approach to the perioperative management of these patients is decisive for the long-term outcome. Orthogeriatric co-management, which includes geriatricians and anesthesiologists from an early stage, is of great benefit for geriatric patients. Patient age, comorbidities and self-sufficiency in activities of daily life are decisive for an anesthesiological assessment of the state of health and preoperative risk stratification. If necessary additional investigations, such as echocardiography must be carried out, in order to guarantee optimal perioperative anesthesiological management. Certain medical factors can delay the initiation of anesthesia and it is absolutely necessary that these are taken into consideration for surgical management. Not every form of anesthesia is equally suitable for every geriatric patient.

[Nursing care in the anesthetic procedure: an integrative review]. / Assistência de enfermagem no procedimento anestésico: revisão integrative.

OBJECTIVE: To search for the scientific evidence available on nursing professional actions during the anesthetic procedure. METHOD: An integrative review of articles in Portuguese, English and Spanish, indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS, National Cochrane, SciELO databases and the VHL portal. RESULTS: Seven studies were analyzed, showing nurse anesthetists' work in countries such as the United States and parts of Europe, with the formulation of a plan for anesthesia and patient care regarding the verification of materials and intraoperative controls. The barriers to their performance involved working in conjunction with or supervised by anesthesiologists, the lack of government guidelines and policies for the legal exercise of the profession, and the conflict between nursing and the health system for maintenance of the performance in places with legislation and defined protocols for the specialty. CONCLUSION: Despite the methodological weaknesses found, the studies indicated a wide diversity of nursing work. Furthermore, in countries absent of the specialty, like Brazil, the need to develop guidelines for care during the anesthetic procedure was observed.

Development of a nurse-assisted preanesthesia evaluation program for pediatric outpatient anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Historically, anesthesiologists have conducted preanesthesia evaluation, but more recently, nurse practitioners (NPs) are increasingly assisting with the preanesthesia evaluation of children. In the current economic environment for healthcare, strategies to provide superior outcomes and exceptional patient experience at the lowest possible cost are constantly being explored. We examined whether well trained nurses, working alongside NPs, could safely and effectively assist in preanesthesia evaluation. The aim of this quality improvement project was to implement a new model for preanesthesia evaluation for healthy outpatient pediatric patients: nurse-assisted preanesthesia evaluation (NAPE). METHODS: Using quality improvement methods, Key Driver Diagrams and SMART aims gave direction for the training and clinical implementation of this new process. Using small tests of change and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, we developed a training process and a stepwise process to integrate them into the clinical work flow. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of the total preanesthesia evaluations in which the Anesthesia Nurses assisted. To ensure quality and safety, data on balancing measures and quality metrics were collected. RESULTS: The weekly percentage of outpatients evaluated by Anesthesia Nurses increased from 0% to 55% within the first 4 months and was then sustained. The remaining patients were evaluated by the Anesthesia NPs. The balancing measures did not show any significant negative effect. Our perioperative quality metrics were also not changed significantly. CONCLUSION: Using quality improvement methods, we successfully improved the utilization of staff resources by adding an Anesthesia Nurse-assisted preanesthesia evaluation program alongside our NPs to provide outstanding preanesthesia care at the lowest possible cost.

The preoperative anesthesia evaluation--revisited.

This article discusses the importance of individualizing the preoperative anesthesia assessment. Establishing trust between the interviewer and patient results in a positive, calming effect from preoperative period through to PACU. An interviewing technique can eas- ily be developed to alleviate anxiety and still make patients aware of risks and potential outcomes.

Identification of a Very High Cuff Pressure by Manual Palpation of the External Cuff Balloon on an Endotracheal Tube.

The most common complication due to intubation is a high cuff pressure. A high cuff pressure can cause postanesthetic tracheal mucosal injuries in patients undergoing surgery. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe whether anesthetic nurses and anesthesiologists identified a very high cuff pressure by manual palpation of the external cuff balloon on an endotracheal tube. An airway device was intubated with an endotracheal tube cuffed to 95 cm H2O. Each participant palpated the external cuff balloon and then filled out a questionnaire, including estimation of the cuff pressure and user frequency of the cuff pressure manometer. The results showed that 89.1% estimated that the cuff pressure was high. Among the participants who rated the cuff pressure as high, 44.8% rated the pressure as quite high and 60.6% rated the pressure as very high. There was no significant relationship between profession and skill in identifying a very high cuff pressure (P = .843) or between work experience and skill in terms of identifying a very high cuff pressure (P = .816). These findings indicate that 10% of patients are at risk of tracheal erosion because of a high cuff pressure.

Reexamining traditional intraoperative fluid administration: evolving views in the age of goal-directed therapy.

Intraoperative volume administration has long been a topic of debate in the field of anesthesia. Only recently, however, has the conversation shifted to a discussion of appropriate intraoperative volume. A thorough review of the literature explores the history of today's widely accepted fluid administration equation and discusses possible explanations and consequences of iatrogenically induced hypervolemia. Current studies exploring various volume administration techniques are reviewed, as are emerging technologies available to help guide anesthesia providers with intraoperative fluid management.

Medication administration in the operating room: new standards and recommendations.

Anesthesia is one of the few areas in healthcare with no secondary verification of medication administration, yet it also has the highest number of administered medications, most of which are high-alert medications. Anesthetists often prescribe, dispense, mix, relabel, administer, and document medications without secondary verification. To increase patient safety, vigilance is one of the basic principles of anesthesia delivery in addition to the other fundamentals of medication administration. The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation recommends implementing standardizations, barcode medication administration, and the use of prefilled or premixed syringes to assist in the safe delivery of anesthesia. It has been shown that adhering to the principles outlined by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation reduces the number of adverse drug events and results in safer care of patients.

Rapid sequence induction in urgent care settings.

In the management of critically ill patients in emergency departments, rapid sequence induction (RSI) of anaesthesia is often required. This article examines the elements of RSI that are necessary before before endotracheal tube placement and reviews the findings of a national audit project, conducted by Royal College of Anaesthetists and Difficult Airway Society. It also considers the role of nurses in RSI procedures.

Patient safety and nurses' role in procedural sedation.

In the United States, following the singer Michael Jackson's fatal overdose of the sedative propofol in 2009, there has been extensive controversy about the administration of the drug by nurses during procedural sedation, or sedation during specific procedures that physicians can suspend to assist nurses in airway management. This article reviews the evidence base for nurses administering procedural sedation under medical supervision.

Anesthesia 101: everything you need to know.

Successful patient outcomes from an operative procedure require vigilance, diligence, and teamwork among the various providers involved with the surgical procedure. An understanding of the responsibilities and appreciation for the complexities of each healthcare provider's role in the operative process is essential to a harmonious relationship among the perioperative team to improve the working environment and provide safe patient care. The information provided in this article is based on commonly observed practices in the anesthesia community with the caveat that the choices can vary considerably and are influenced by patient presentation and surgical requirements.

Emergency cesarean delivery in primigravida with portal hypertension, esophageal varices, and preeclampsia.

The incidence of cirrhosis and advanced portal hypertension during pregnancy is very low, and the literature is scarce with regard to the anesthetic management of a parturient with this coexisting disease. We report the successful perioperative management of a parturi- ent with a history of cirrhosis and portal hypertension with esophageal varices and mild preeclampsia who presented at 38 weeks' gestation in active labor with a breech presentation requiring emergency cesarean delivery. She required endoscopic esophageal varices banding during the second trimester of pregnancy. After correction of her coagulopathy, she was administered subarachnoid block and cesarean delivery, which was conducted uneventfully. Anesthetic management of these patients depends on understanding and avoiding variceal hemorrhage, encephalopathy, renal failure, and careful fluid and electrolyte management.

Periprocedural pain of radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Although radiofrequency ablation has been accepted as a safe and effective treatment for small hepatocellular carcinoma, there are few studies addressing periprocedural pain. Our study aims were to investigate periprocedural pain and evaluate its related factors. Ninety-nine patients diagnosed as having hepatocellular carcinoma and who underwent radiofrequency ablation were consecutively enrolled. The pain intensity, mental preparation status for radiofrequency ablation, and demographic and clinical characteristics were investigated. We used an 11-point numerical rating scale to assess for pain. Forty-three percent of subjects reported the intensity of periprocedural pain as more than a level of six (severe pain). The longer duration of ablation (r(s) = .29, p = .004), the number of ablations (r(s) = .27, p = .008), higher pain anxiety (r(s) = .42, p < .001), and difficulty sleeping on the previous day (r(s) = .24, p = .019) were factors related to experiencing more severe pain. The major related factors to severe periprocedural pain were the longer duration of ablation and the more anxiety about pain. Clinicians should offer better information to radiofrequency ablation patients regarding pain expectations and carefully consider periprocedural analgesia requirements.

[Anaesthesia in elderly people]. / L'anesthésie de la personne âgée.

The "perioperative" period for elderly patients is prone to a significant level of morbidity and mortality. Chronological age and comorbidities are the main causes of mortality. Loco-regional anaesthesia is used in 50% of cases. When general anaesthesia is used, invasive monitoring is the rule, with titration of medication and pain treatment. Cognitive dysfunctions are related to age rather than the anaesthetic technique. The aim is for early rehabilitation perhaps through ambulatory care.

Nurse-administered propofol sedation: feasibility and safety in bronchoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Propofol is a fast-acting intravenous sedative that has advantages as a procedural sedative over traditional regimens. It has been shown to have a similar safety profile to traditional sedating medications in the setting of gastroenterologic endoscopy. Nurse-administered propofol sedation is given by a specially-trained nurse, without anesthesiologist involvement. OBJECTIVES: We have used nurse-administered propofol sedation in our bronchoscopy suite for several years. In this report, we summarize our experience with nurse-administered propofol sedation, and demonstrate it to be feasible and safe for bronchoscopic procedures. METHODS: Procedure reports and nursing notes for 588 bronchoscopic procedures performed between July 2006 and June 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, procedure type and indication, procedure time, medication doses, and adverse events were noted and analyzed. RESULTS: Nurse-administered propofol sedation was used in 498/588 (85%) procedures. Patients utilizing nurse-administered propofol sedation had an average age of 53 years (range 18-86) with an average weight of 80 kg. 56% of the patients were male, and 57% of the procedures were performed on outpatients. Average procedure duration was 25 min (range 3-123). The average propofol dose was 3.13 mg/kg (range 0.12-20 mg/kg). Adverse events attributable to sedation were noted in 33 (6.6%) procedures. Of the 14 (2.8%) major adverse events (death, need for intubation, ICU stay, or hospitalization), only 6 (1.2%) were potentially attributable to the sedation regimen. There were 2 deaths, neither of which was related to sedation. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse-administered propofol sedation is a feasible and safe sedation method for bronchoscopic procedures.